The Graduate Secondary Field in Translation Studies offers graduate students the opportunity to undertake sustained study of the theory and practice of translation, broadly understood across languages, media, and the arts. The secondary field in translation studies has a triple rationale: intellectual, multidisciplinary, and practical. By examining a range of linguistic encounters and cultural exchanges, students pursuing the secondary field have the opportunity to root their translation work within their knowledge of at least two languages while expanding their engagement with the craft of translation. As they move through the curriculum, graduate students do more than simply examine how meaning is transferred from one language to another; they acquire the knowledge necessary to intervene in current scholarly debates in the growing field of translation studies, as well as the ability to teach translation to undergraduate and graduate students. While deepening their expertise in at least two languages, students enroll in a range of courses offered across departments that consider theoretical issues raised by and through the process of translation and will then complete a capstone project, supervised by a faculty advisor. 

The secondary field provides enrolled students with opportunities for professional development, training in translation pedagogy, and an additional credential in today’s extremely competitive academic job market. It complements students’ main PhD programs while providing the competitive edge that they need to distinguish themselves as outstanding candidates for jobs at research universities and liberal arts colleges in North America, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. Faculty with expertise in one or two national languages and literatures are often now expected to teach broad-ranging comparative courses in and on translation. Even a cursory look at this year’s MLA Job List shows that more and more advertisements for junior searches make explicit the desirability for practical and theoretical knowledge of translation studies as proof of interdisciplinarity and crossover intellectual capacity for a prospective faculty member. 

A student may apply for the secondary field in translation studies at any point in their academic progression. Students from any PhD program in the FAS may apply; students may pursue only one secondary field. Students in the comparative literature PhD program interested in the translation studies secondary field must ensure that no courses taken for the field are double counted toward the PhD; that is, any courses counted toward the secondary field, including Translation Studies 280, may not be used also to meet requirements for the doctoral program. 

The Graduate Secondary Field in Translation Studies involves the following requirements: 

Translation 280, Proseminar in Translation Studies: This intensive proseminar aims to provide a grounding in some of the classic texts attempting to theorize translation, alongside influential research taking translation as its optic or subject. It also aims to expose students to the interface between translation and publishing, and also provide an incubator for student projects—whether students’ own translation work, research on translation, or computer-based humanistic presentations.

Two graduate-level seminars in translation studies, broadly defined, which may include translation workshop courses, interdisciplinary courses relating to translation, or courses critically reading translated texts. With approval of the student’s advisor and the Translation Studies Executive Committee, a summer internship in publishing, literary translation, or design may take the place of one of these two seminars.  

A capstone project which features a substantive translation, of variable length (dependent upon the difficulty of the languages involved), potentially publishable in a scholarly journal or as a short book. The capstone project will be accompanied by a critical essay of 4,000–7,000 words, or, if approved by the student’s advisor and the Executive Committee, a digital humanities project or public exhibition. As they complete the capstone project, graduate students will enroll in a semester-long 300-level reading course with a faculty member who is competent to advise and supervise their translation (or other project). After submission, both that supervising faculty member and at least one additional competent reader from the Harvard faculty will jointly assess the completed project. Students should enroll in Translation Studies 399: Capstone Project in the semester when they submit in order to allow the program to record the project grade.  

Students may name a faculty member they would like to supervise their capstone project. Students who are not sure which faculty might be able to supervise their work may ask the Translation Studies Committee to help them find a supervisor. 

The Department of Comparative Literature administers the Graduate Secondary Field in Comparative Literature. Students with questions should write to the department to contact the members  of the Translation Studies Committee for guidance. 

 
The Translation Studies Committee for 2025–2026 consists of: Jeffrey Schnapp, Spencer Lee-Lenfield, Sandra Naddaff, and Martha Selby. Please contact Spencer Lee-Lenfield (leelenfield@fas.harvard.edu) with questions. 

For additional information, consult this page: GSAS/Policy/Translation/Studies.